


Obvious

by microgiraffe



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Slightly - Freeform, left out of the loop, poor karol, slight spoilers for late game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 10:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21160508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/microgiraffe/pseuds/microgiraffe
Summary: It was obvious, really. Karol should've caught on quicker.





	Obvious

**Author's Note:**

> something short and sweet, i'm in love with this game haha

“So, who is this Flynn guy, anyways?”

They had just left Halure, on their way to Aspio, when Karol asked his question. Yuri pursed his lips. Estelle hummed in thought. “Well,” she started, “he’s a wonderfully kind and brave man.”

Karol pouted. “…is he your boyfriend or something?”

Yuri snorted so hard it hurt. Estelle’s face went bright red. “Oh, ah…n-no…he’s just a friend,” she stuttered, wringing her hands together awkwardly. “We read books together, sometimes, but…”

“He’s a total asshole,” Yuri interrupted, ignoring the scandalized look on Karol’s face. “Bad temper, thinks he’s always right, stubborn as a jackass. You say the wrong thing once and he flips his shit.”

“That’s not true.” Estelle wore an almost wistful look, eyes turned skyward and mouth in a small smile. “I’ve never known him to lose his temper. And he’s quite agreeable. He told me you were always the stubborn one, Yuri.”

Karol looked between the two of them. “So how do _you_ know him, Yuri?”

“Eh, we’re friends.”

It was a lot more complex than _we’re friends_, but that was the easiest way to explain it for now. They had grown up together, lived with each other, were closer to each other than anyone else they knew. Yuri knew just about everything about Flynn, and Flynn knew just about everything about Yuri. But, that was kind of hard to explain in words. _Friends_ was good enough.

“Yuri and Flynn grew up together,” Estelle continued, gaining Karol’s attention. “They were even knights together.”

“_Yuri _was a _knight_?!”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

Karol stopped and stared wide-eyed up at Yuri, mouth gaping. “B-but—but you—you’re! You’re _you_!”

“And that’s why it didn’t work out.” He avoided Karol’s eyes and looked up at the sky. “Come on, let’s keep moving. It’s getting dark.”

* * *

It was after Estelle was gone. Flynn was with them, and Rita was clearly unhappy. Karol couldn’t quite place _why_, though. Yeah, she missed Estelle, that was obvious. But, if she missed her so much, wouldn’t she be _sad_, and not _angry_? He didn’t even know it was possible to angrily read a book until that night. “Rita, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” She flipped another page, nearly tearing it from its binding.

Clearly, she wasn’t. Karol frowned. “…are you sure? You’ve been acting…weird.”

“You know who else has been _acting weird_? Yuri!”

Karol glanced over to where said man stood. He was getting dinner ready, like usual. Flynn was there, talking to him. It seemed normal. “Uh, how? He seems pretty fine to me.”

She snapped her book shut and glared over at the pair, studying them with the same intensity as a blastia. “They’re way into each other, but they don’t even acknowledge it. It’s annoying.”

“What?”

“You can’t tell? It’s pretty obvious.”

Sure, Yuri seemed to be more at ease around Flynn. He smiled more, relaxed more. He’d always been pretty easy-going, but it seemed to be heightened ever since Flynn joined them. But that made sense: they were best friends. Karol hardly knew Flynn at all, but they got along okay. He just seemed nice all around, friendly and polite like a model knight should be. Karol kept eying Rita, watching her face as her eyebrows furrowed and her lips puckered up like she had just eaten a lemon gel. “Does it freak you out that bad? I thought you liked them.”

“What? No, it—it doesn’t…_freak me out_. It’s just weird, to see him like that. You know?” She finally looked back at Karol. “It’s harder to see it in him than Flynn. But it’s there, and it’s so _obvious_.”

“…what’s obvious?”

Her face went red. Her eyes darted between him and Yuri and Flynn for a moment before she leaned in close. “Yuri and Flynn! _They’re in love_!” She stage-whispered. “Don’t tell me, you can’t see it?!”

Karol jumped at the aggression. “Wh—huh? Yuri said they were just friends!”

“Ugh! Just—just wait. Watch.”

He did. Flynn said something, Yuri laughed. Then Flynn laughed with him. Rita slapped him on the wrist. “Ow! What?!”

“Did you see that? The way Flynn looked at Yuri before he laughed. Tell me I’m not crazy.”

Karol thought for a moment. It clicked. “He looked at Yuri the way you look at blastia.”

“Exactly! See? I knew it.”

_In love_. That sounded like such a strong phrase for Yuri. But…he guessed it made sense. They _were_ pretty close. But love? That word scared even Karol. Yuri was an adult, technically. So was Flynn. They’d be at that point in their lives where love was something people talked about a lot. He really couldn’t imagine Yuri ever settling down into a steady relationship, or really a relationship at all. “That doesn’t seem very much like Yuri.”

Rita nodded sharply. “And _that’s_ why I said he’s acting weird.”

“I think it’s kind of sweet.”

Both Rita and Karol yelled in surprise at the sudden additional voice. Judy stood behind them, small knowing smile on her face and all. “Jeez, don’t you know not to do that?” Rita seethed. “It’s rude!”

Judy merely laughed. “Well, don’t you think it’s rude to talk about other people behind their backs?”

She did have a point. Karol frowned. “Did you know, Judy?”

“Oh, of course.” She sat down between them, folding her hands in her lap. “I knew from the moment I saw them together.”

“Really?” Rita brought a hand to her mouth, pulling at her lip. “It took me a little while.”

“Yuri’s pretty easy to read.”

Karol opened his mouth, to say _not really_, and Yuri shouted that dinner was ready.

* * *

The festival was great. The food, the positive energy, the encouragement that everyone in Aurnion gave for Brave Vesperia put Karol in a bright mood. But, it was almost time to go. The Adephagos was only getting bigger, and it was high time they put a stop to it. Everyone was saying their goodbyes, making promises to return, cheering for victory. Something caught his eye.

Flynn, and Yuri.

Ever since that day Rita made the comment of them being in love, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. But nothing really ever _proved_ that they were actually together, nothing that he saw anyways. Flynn looked upset. Yuri smiled, put a hand on Flynn’s shoulder, said something. Then, Flynn pulled Yuri into a hug. _That’s sweet_, Karol couldn’t help but think. They really were close. He was probably making Yuri promise to come back. Then—

Karol blinked. Yuri looked just as shocked as Karol felt. He was red-faced, but smiling and laughing.

Rita was right.

He glanced around for her, to see if she saw. She was off to the other side with Estelle, talking to some other townsfolk. She didn’t see. No one but him saw.

They left Aurnion, heading towards Aspio. Karol walked quicker to catch up to Yuri. “…who is Flynn?” He asked, quietly enough so only he and Yuri could hear.

Yuri glanced over at him, confusion on his face. “Whaddya mean?”

“Um, well…” He fiddled with his bag strap. “…I kinda saw. You two.”

“Oh, is that all?” Yuri smiled. “What do you think?”

Karol pouted. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Why should I have?” He shrugged, patted his hand on his thigh as he walked. “Didn’t think it was all that important. I told you; we’re close.”

“Do you love him?”

Yuri finally frowned, turning his head to look at Karol. “Well, yeah. I thought that was kind of obvious.”

Karol’s face heated up. Was he really the only one who didn’t know? Even _Yuri_ said it was obvious! He looked away, across the plains, to the sky, anywhere but Yuri’s face. That was embarrassing. He laughed nervously. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”


End file.
